Or if you want to fiddle for an hour or two, remove the gearknob try to make the metal wire inside (for the reverse gear) straight and pull it off. Put the new one on and bend the wire back to it's original form.

Yes, the boot won't come off without removing the entire lever because the lock-out ring for reverse is wired into a mechanism in the lever. There's no way to get the boot off my just removing the knob unless you damage that wire.

It's not hard to pull the lever to get access but it is a little work to get the lock out mechanism adjusted just right when you go to do the reinstall.